A view from the floor: Democratising the climate debate

Posted on 28 November 2022 by Austin Hardie

As we look at the endless 24-hour news cycle covering the crushing consequences of the cost-of-living crisis and a Global community at COP-27 struggling to find consensus in the fight against climate change, it’s easy to feel despair. My time working on the front-line of the Third Sector has taught me a valuable lesson when things look bleak. Look to the ‘ground-up’ for solutions that will ultimately make the difference.

Spruce was set-up in 2005 as the UK’s first social enterprise specialising in re-use flooring. It’s founding principle, which drives us to this day, is that a well-equipped, comfortable home is a right not an aspiration. A human right which ignites self-respect and community cohesion. One of the biggest household purchases, floorcovering, is often taken-for-granted. Anybody who has stepped-into a house onto bare floorboards and spoken to its occupants about the daily reality of poverty understands why this matters.

The solutions to poverty and the climate countdown should not be siloed. Too often the environmental movement has been ‘means-tested’ and elevated to ‘decision-makers’ who are handed the privilege of activism. We believe in cutting-through this paradigm in partnership with others who care. Our model is simple yet powerful. We work closely with producers who donate good quality carpets or vinyl. Spruce acts as a conduit between these suppliers and social housing providers and charities to furnish the homes of those in low or no-income households either via housing associations or through direct referral. The impacts are colossal.

We recently re-launched our website and you can hear some of the first-hand stories from donors and recipients on the benefits this work brings. We have a dedicated team at Spruce and a network of advocates across the UK who believe in what we do. This is community activism, in the best sense of the term, and the ‘price of entry’ is just caring enough.

The power of collaboration was brought into sharp focus last year at COP-26. We worked with the organisers and partners to repurpose 10,000 sq meters of carpets from the SEC straight to our warehouse in Ibrox for processing before being re-directed into homes across Scotland. It was the single biggest donation in our charity’s history. It was a huge undertaking which helped many people but it stood for something deeper which is at the heart of Spruce. To tackle the climate emergency we must tackle poverty and inequality. Long after the World leaders left COP-26 we gathered in a big empty space to bring COP to communities which otherwise has been untouched by the event. We provided a solution and also a platform to illustrate how environmental good practice and social inclusion are not mutually exclusive.

I can’t thank our partners and customers enough for standing with us. Let’s not wait for COP-28 to engage our communities and affect change from the floor up. And let’s give everyone a voice and a seat at the table through action not words.

Austin Hardie is CEO of Spruce Carpets.